In Huntington Beach, CA, the largest gathering of Black surfers in history was united again this year. A Great Day in The Stoke was established to create a safe space for Black surfers to connect.
When David Mesfin moved to St. Augustine Florida from Ethiopia in his teenage years, he found swimming and surfing to be a means of escape from his problems.
Santa Monica College (SMC) volunteers from the college’s Black Collegians, Adelante Club, President’s Ambassadors, and other programs partnered with the Black Surfers Collective, the Black Historians, local schools, and community members on Saturday, Sept. 15 to help clean up Santa Monica College’s adopted section of beach, known as the “Inkwell.”
Over the last five years, BSC has hosted at least 30 people every weekend through their completely volunteer program.
Several organizations united to celebrate the legacy of Nick Gabaldon during the first weekend of June at Bay Street Beach in Santa Monica. Gabaldon was the first known surfer of color, being of both African-American and Latino heritage.
To commemorate the legacy of Gabaldon, children from South Los Angeles-based organizations are invited to take surfing and boogie boarding lessons.